I was hit with a £4,000 bill after discovering invasive plant – it’s NOT Japanese knotweed and our surveyor missed it

A HOMEOWNER was slapped with a immense £4,000 measure aft discovering an invasive works had dispersed crossed her garden.

The costly plant, which's not to beryllium mistaken with Japanese knotweed, was wholly missed by her surveyors.

Leah Jones bought her terraced home unaware that the bamboo works increasing successful her backmost plot was a ticking clip bomb.

It had dispersed underground, crisscrossing beneath her patio and artificial lawn, with caller shoots emerging metres away.

The bamboo works has present near Leah with a monolithic bill conscionable months aft moving in.

Leah said: "When we bought the house, we had nary thought of the problems bamboo tin cause, and our surveyor didn’t notation it.

"It’s going to outgo america respective 1000 pounds to person it removed next month, and the disruption to the plot volition beryllium huge.

"Knowing what I cognize now, I wouldn’t bargain a spot with bamboo – I’d importune the seller person it removed first."

Leah’s concern appears to beryllium a growing contented for UK homeowners – the hidden menace of bamboo infestations.

Unlike Japanese knotweed, which is taxable to strict ineligible requirements during spot sales, determination is nary work for sellers to state the beingness of bamboo.

This means location buyers similar Leah are often near to woody with the occupation themselves aft moving in.

Bamboo tin beryllium highly invasive and damaging.

The works spreads done agelong underground rhizomes that tin question up to 10 metres, perchance causing harm to lawns, patios, and adjacent neighbouring properties.

Plant specializer and Environet Director, Emily Grant, said: “Nobody wants to inherit a stressful and costly contented erstwhile they bargain a property.

"This is often happening with bamboo arsenic determination is nary ineligible model to support buyers, arsenic determination is for Japanese knotweed."

Experts assertion to person seen cases wherever homeowners person "barely unpacked their bags" earlier discovering the bamboo infestation successful their caller home.

Emily added: "In summation to imaginable harm to their ain spot and garden, buyers request to see the hazard of a ineligible lawsuit from a neighbour if the bamboo encroaches into their property.”

Because Leah was unaware of the infestation, by the clip the household noticed the shoots spreading, it had already taken implicit overmuch of the garden.

The removal process volition necessitate digging up ample sections of the patio and lawn, arsenic good arsenic excavating the basal systems to forestall the bamboo from returning.

Leah’s fearfulness is that if near untreated, it could encroach into neighbouring gardens, perchance sparking ineligible disputes.

With 8% of UK homes present estimated to beryllium affected by bamboo, and a 50% emergence successful bamboo removal enquiries related to spot income successful the past six months, consciousness is starting to grow.

But galore location buyers are inactive caught disconnected guard, similar Leah, by the grade of the harm it tin cause.

It typically costs astir £3,500 +VAT to region bamboo from a residential property.

As she prepares to person her plot excavated, Leah hopes that different location buyers volition beryllium much vigilant and debar being near with a nasty – and costly – surprise.

She said: “I anticipation by raising consciousness we tin forestall this from happening to different location buyers who whitethorn person nary thought what they’re taking on.”

Home buyers should beryllium alert of the works and instrumentality indispensable precautions, ensuring thorough checks are made earlier completing a purchase, arsenic the consequences of ignoring it tin beryllium both financially and structurally devastating.

It comes arsenic different Brit has revealed her bamboo “nightmare” aft a neighbour has insisted she determination diesel implicit her plants. 

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